Nightwing: City On Fire
by Joker1102
Summary: Batman is away, and it's up to Nightwing to protect Gotham from an all-out war, as well as whatever Scarecrow is planning.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This my my first fanfic. I wrote it a while back for one of my roleplay accounts. I gave the story a soundtrack, kinda like it's a movie. Review and tell me whether or not you liked it.

[New Divide - Linkin Park]

Gotham City is a powder keg. Tension between rival gangs is rising, and allegiances are being made. The Falcones have recruited Bane and Firefly as their chief enforcers, Black Mask has hired a small militia of mercenaries, and to make matters worse, Scarecrow has escaped Arkham Asylum and plans to unleash an upgraded Fear Toxin on the citizens of Gotham. With Batman away on League business, the responsibility falls on Nightwing to prevent an all-out gang war, as well as stop Scarecrow's dastardly plans.

Nightwing speed through the Gotham backstreets on his motorcycle, racing well above the speed limit as he talked on his in-ear communicator. "Let me get this straight," he said to Batgirl, who, being pregnant, could only help by feeding him information from the Batcave. "Carmine sent Firefly to torch Black Mask's stash house?"

The reply came quickly. "Yep. I guess the talking is over. We're about to have a full-fledged war on our hands, Dick." The former Boy Wonder scowled as he thought about what a turf war could mean for Gotham. "I'm not allowing that. They wanna go to war, they have to go through me." On the other end of the comlink, Babs sighed softly. "Be careful, Dick." Instead of replying, Dick Grayson simply revved his engine and gunned the bike toward the warehouse that Black Mask used to store his various narcotics and firearms.

[My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy]

Nightwing skidded to a stop in front of the warehouse, raising an arm to shield his face from the intense heat radiating from the building. As Grayson shifted his view skyward, he could clearly see Firefly whizzing around the warehouse with both flamethrower gauntlets spewing fire, adding to the conflagration. Without taking the time to think, Nightwing jumped from the bike, pulling a grapple shooter from a pouch on his belt. He aimed the grapple at Firefly, and with the press of a button, launched the hook at the aerial arsonist's ankle.

Having caught the firebug by surprise, Nightwing gave a powerful yank, pulling Firefly by the grapple cord and slamming him into the ground. The moment Firefly came into contact with the concrete, Dick leapt into action. In one fluid motion, he tossed the grapple shooter aside, flipped through the air and aimed a powerful heel kick at Firefly's chest. Unfortunately, the pyromaniacal villain was able to evade the attack just as the volatile chemicals and weaponry within the warehouse exploded in a fiery inferno.

The blast sent both men flying backwards as they were pelted with flaming debris. When Nightwing recovered, Firefly was hovering in front of him, aiming one of his gauntlets directly at the young hero's face. Nightwing scowled as Firefly began to speak. "I could kill you right now. You /do/ realize that, don't you? Lucky for you, I've got other things to do tonight." With that, he flew away, leaving Nightwing to pull himself from the smouldering rubble.

Dick called Barbara on his comlink. "Bad news. The warehouse is toast /and/ he got away." There was a faint sound of typing, then Babs spoke. "Even worse news. Bane just took down four of Mask's mercs. Falcone is really trying to cripple Black Mask's resources, and you can just imagine what the retaliation will be like." Dick frowned. "I need you to find out where Bane is headed and help me beat him there." There was more typing, and then..."Alright, listen up."

[Catalyst - Linkin Park]

Fifteen minutes later, Nightwing was crouched on a rooftop holding a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes. Bane should pass by any second now. A black SUV sped around the corner wildly. Nightwing stood up, placed the binoculars in a pouch and stood up, pulling his eskrimas from their holsters. "Showtime," he muttered to himself. But just as he was about to dive into action, Grayson saw something that both surprised and confused him, and complicated the situation greatly. As the SUV sped down the empty street, a large, scaly figure erupted from the sewers and flung a heavy manhole cover through the vehicle's windshield as though it were a Frisbee.

"Killer Croc?!" Nightwing exclaimed as the SUV swerved out of control and crashed into a lightpost. The reptilian bruiser heard his name being called his name being called and and looked over his shoulder, spotting Nightwing. "You better stay outta this, Bird Boy. Tha boss said ta take Bane out fer what he did, but I'm sure he won't mind if I eat you, too!" Croc gave a fearsome, toothy snarl. Nightwing tightened his grip on his eskrimas and flipped from the rooftop, landing gracefully in the street as he took a fighting stance. "I'd like to see you eat /anything/ once I knock your teeth out."

There was a loud banging noise, then the driver's door flew off of the SUV and Bane stepped out. "¿Qué tenemos aquí? A birdie and a /lizardo/." The lucha libre powerhouse flexed his muscles and glared at the two adversaries in front of him. Without warning, Bane lunged at Killer Croc. The events that occurred next happened very rapidly.

°SLOW MOTION°

Bane dove for Croc and managed to get a tight grip around his throat before he noticed a black and blue blur moving behind the green monster. Nightwing flipped four times in the air and slammed his foot into Killer Croc's neck, sending his thick skull smashing into Bane's face. Bane went stumbling backwards as Nightwing kicked Croc's legs out from under him, sending the beast crashing into the ground.

Bane regained his footing and grabbed the car door from the ground, then hurled it at Nightwing, who was rushing in with his eskrimas raised. Nightwing dropped to his knees, sliding forward with his nose mere inches below the car door, then leapt to his feet as he reached Bane. As he rose, Nightwing pressed the buttons that electrified his eskrimas and jammed the sticks under the chin of the much larger man. The sudden force of Nightwing rising from a kneel sent Bane into the air as his body took a shock of 60,000 volts, instantly sending him into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Killer Croc climbed back to his feet, only to be met with the flying car door that was thrown by Bane. With a sickening crunch, the steel door collided with scaled flesh and sent the crocodilian menace flying backwards into the brick wall of an abandoned storefront. Croc's loud grunt of pain reminded Nightwing that he still had one foe to take down. He whirled around, doing the eskrima in his right hand to draw two explosive Wing-Dings from his belt. The bladed projectiles were thrown at Killer Croc with expert accuracy. "Chew on this!" Nightwing yelled as the Wing-Dings exploded on either side of Croc's massive head, knocking the monster out cold.

° END OF SLOW MOTION°

"Dick!" Barbara's voice rang out in Nightwing's earpiece. "Firefly and Black Mask's men are fighting! They've already torched the dockyards, the Warehouse District, and half of Crime Alley! You need to get over to Crime Alley, like, NOW!"

Nightwing picked up his dropped eskrima, placed the sticks in their holsters, and shot his grapple gun up to a nearby rooftop. "I'm on it. Croc and Bane are KO'ed at my location. Send someone for pickup." "Hurry, Dick. The GCPD are struggling."

Nightwing set off at a full sprint, running from rooftop to rooftop until he saw the red-orange glow of flames. As Nightwing perched on a gargoyle, he was at a complete loss for words. The entire neighborhood was set ablaze. Gotham City police officers scattered around, trying to help civilians to safety as Firefly and hired killers from both Falcone's and Black Mask's camps waged in a fight to the death. And somewhere across the city, Scarecrow laughed to himself. "Tonight, when Gotham is on the brink of destruction, it will know FEAR!"

[Fire - Big Sean]

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2

[Ticking Bomb - Aloe Black]

Nightwing stood from his perch above Crime Alley, looking down at the chaotic scene before him. The GCPD were struggling to contain the urban war between Black Mask and Carmine Falcone's men. Firefly zoomed around overhead, setting fire to anything and anyone he passed. Civilians ran for dear life as mercenaries from both sides spilled blood indiscriminately; anybody caught in the crossfire was dismissed as collateral damage as the hired killers fought for control of Gotham's underworld. If Nightwing didn't put an end to this soon, the results could be catastrophic.

"Nightwing to BatBabs," he said into his comlink. "I'm gonna need backup. Send everyone. It's getting really nasty down here." Grayson gripped his eskrimas as the reply promptly came. "Okay. I'm establishing an open line now. Robin, Red Robin, Red Hood, Black Bat, Batwing, Question and Batgirl, Nightwing needs immediate backup in Crime Alley. Alpha level priority. Protocol Seventeen." After a few seconds, the other young heroes of Gotham began sending in their confirmations. "Help is on the way, Dick," Barbara told him. "Try to get the police and civilians to safety in the meantime."

Nightwing launched himself from the gargoyle on which he stood and flipped through the air toward the street below. He landed with a light thud on the hood of a GCPD squad car, startling a few officers who had ducked behind the vehicle for cover. "Don't worry," the former sidekick told the cops, one of whom had drawn his pistol in surprise. "I'm here to help. See the bird on my chest? So can anyone get me up to speed?" The officer who'd unholstered his gun lowered the weapon and spoke. "You're Batman's kid, right? Well, they've got military-grade guns, that maniac with the torches, and some kinda...snake person." Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "Killer Croc is here? I thought he was out for the count." The cop shook his head. "Nah, this one's smaller, and quick as all hell."

Nightwing raised his left hand and gently pressed his comlink. "Batfam be advised. They have advanced weaponry, and Firefly and Copperhead are in the fray making everything worse. Rendezvous at my current location before taking action." A few short minutes later, the eight young heroes and heroines stood crouched behind the squad cruiser with the three police officers. Nightwing addressed the members of the Batfamily first. "Our first priority is the safety of the civvies. Question, Batwing, Batgirl and Red Hood, your job is to take out the mercenaries and clear a path for the firetrucks. Robin and Black Bat, I'll leave Copperhead to you. Red Robin, you're with me, buddy. Firefly and I have a little unfinished business."

One of the policemen raised his hand timidly. "Uh, I know this is kinda what you guys do, but isn't there anything we can do to help? I mean, it is our job to protect and serve the city." The former

Boy Wonder nodded. "You're absolutely right, sorry about that. Gather as many of your men as possible and secure the citizens. Get them as far away from Crime Alley as you can. Okay, we all have our missions, let's go out there and save our city!"

[Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People]

All at once, the costumed "vigilantes" and the police officers sprang into action. The uniformed cops ran to the left, toward the huddled masses of civilians, yelling into their radios for the other officers to join them. Batwing spread his titanium wings and flew right at one of Black Mask's hired men, who immediately opened fire upon the hero. Batgirl quickly engaged the man and knocked his gun from his grasp with a flying windmill kick, leaving him wide open for a hard elbow to the sternum by Batwing.

Red Hood and the Question drew their own pistols and raced down the sidewalk, aiming at the arms and legs of any mercenary unlucky enough to find himself in their sights. Black Bat and Robin vanished silently, stealthily weaving throughout the bedlam in search of Copperhead. Nightwing pulled a grapple gun from his belt and aimed it at a nearby rooftop so he could get to higher ground, and Red Robin propelled himself from the ground and flew to the roof alongside his older brother.

Before long, the two warring factions has resolved to an unspoken truce and concentrated their fire on the heroes. Firefly swooped down at Nightwing, both flamethrower gauntlets spewing out fire. Dick sprinted across the rooftop and jumped from its edge, tumbling into the window of a nearby warehouse as Red Robin flew toward the fire-loving villain. Firefly was caught off guard by a swift kick to the ribs that spun him in the air, and he and Red Robin began tearing at each other, both men attacking fiercely.

Further down the street, Black Bat and Robin finally caught up with Copperhead. The young Robin drew his sword and advanced on the serpentine assassin, moving slowly and deliberately as the silent Black Bat crept around the villain to prevent his escape. Damian gave a slight nod and Cass lunged forward, aiming a rapid flurry of punches at Copperhead's back. At the last second, Copperhead contorted his body, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung his fist into Black Bat's leather mask, sending the young woman stumbling backwards. Robin rushed Copperhead, attempting to smash the hilt of his sword into the man's face, but the criminal managed to bring his foot up just in time to parry the blow.

Back in the warehouse, Nightwing stood up, dusted himself off, and looked out the shattered window to see Tim gain the upper hand on Firefly; the arsonist took a nasty hit from Red Robin's bo staff that sent him spiraling into a parked car. Without warning, Barbara's voice crackled into Dick's earpiece. "Dick, what's the situation like down there?" He craned his head out of the window and peered down the street. "Uh, I think we're winning. I see a chopper coming to put the blaze out." "Good," Babs said hurriedly, "because things just got worse. Way worse."

[The End of All Things - Panic! At The Disco]

While the heroes were occupied in Crime Alley, Scarecrow decided that the time was finally right to set his dastardly plan into action. He hacked into every broadcast signal in Gotham and began to speak. His voice was heard on every radio, his face on every television screen. "Good evening, Gotham. I'm sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming, but don't worry. What is about to take place will be an...exciting alternative." He let out a fearsome, gravelly laugh then resumed his speech. "You see, tonight, while your "heroes" are all trying to save half of the city from being reduced to ashes, I am going to teach you all a lesson in fear. As I speak, shipments of my Fear Toxin are being shipped to the sewage treatment plant and the reservoir, and a third shipment will be released into the air at midnight. Prepare to have your worst nightmares become a reality." The radio and television broadcasts faded away to static.

Nightwing sped away from Crime Alley on his modified motorcycle, listening to a recording of Scarecrow's broadcast in his earpiece. "Babs, can you track the signal he was broadcasting from and triangulate his location?" "Already on it, babe. It's gonna take a few minutes. In the meantime, I'm gonna send the others out to look for those shipments." Nightwing tightened his grip on the handlebars and pushed his bike as fast as it could go. A short while later, Barbara's voice chirped into his comm once more. "Sending the location to your bike's GPS." Dick glanced down at the holographic display on his motorcycle's dashboard. "Old Gotham?"

The acrobatic Grayson arrived at the dilapidated house in record time and killed his bike's engine. He hopped from the seat and slowly made his way up to the porch, careful not to trip any alarms or booby traps. Once Nightwing was on the porch, he reached out and gently eased the front door open. There was a soft click. "Oh shi-" he said as the house erupted in a violent explosion, a blast of fire and hot air hitting Nightwing square in the chest. He was sent flying to the ground, then skipped across the dirt like a rock across the surface of a lake. The last things he was aware of before he blacked out were the smell of singed flesh and a shadowy figure approaching him from the house across the street.

[Far Too Young to Die - Panic! At The Disco]

When Dick regained consciousness, he was tied to a chair in what appeared to be a dusty attic, and Scarecrow sat in a chair directly across from him. Nightwing struggled against the ropes, but he was bound too tightly. Scarecrow reached into his jacket and withdrew a long syringe filled with a pale green fluid. "Oh, you're awake. Just in time to test out the toxin before I release it on the city." Dick was unable to do anything but watch as Crane stabbed the needle into his side, injecting the powerful serum into his bloodstream. "I made this batch especially potent, since it seems like you Bats are immune to the other batches."

Dick yelled out in pain as the serum ran through his body; it felt as if all his injuries from that night were being amplified. And then it kicked in. The room seemed to melt and contort into a hellish nightmare. Dick struggled even more as he began to panic. Scarecrow stood up and laughed; to Nightwing, he had become a towering incarnation of the boogeyman, terrifying and devious. "Oh, so I'm gonna assume the wide eyes and tears mean you like it, then? Good." He walked over to

a small table and glanced at a digital timer. "In less than an hour, all of Gotham will join you. Too bad the Batman isn't here to take part in the festivities."

Dick tried desperately to calm himself enough to think straight in his fearful delirium. I gotta get outta here. I'm too young to die. I don't wanna... The fear triggered an influx of adrenaline within Dick, and he sprang up from the chair, tearing himself out of the ropes. But he didn't know where to go. The room was so dark, and all he could see from the flickering light of the sole candle was this horrifying...monster. He backed away, scared to go anywhere near Scarecrow, but Scarecrow kept walking closer, laughing menacingly. "What's wrong, Bird-boy? Are you...afraid?"

Dick kept backing away, reaching behind him for a door out of the attic. His fingers brushed against a cool brass knob. Yes! He'd found a way to escape this hell! Dick spun around and twisted the doorknob. Only, it wouldn't turn. It was locked. He dropped to the floor in despair, staring up at Scarecrow, who terrified him into paralysis. Crane reached out and grabbed the hero by his tattered costume and lifted him to his feet. Suddenly, something clicked inside Nightwing's head. Fight or flight. I've got to get outta here. If running isn't an option...

[Berzerk - Eminem]

Dick swung a hard left hook at Scarecrow's face, catching the man off guard and dropping him to the floor. He pounced at the Master of Fear, screaming frantically. "I'm not gonna let you control me, you monster!" Nightwing dropped a hammer fist toward Crane's forehead, but missed and instead hit the hard wooden floor. "Ah!"

Scarecrow used this momentary slip up to kick Grayson off of him and crawl back to his feet. He searched around for another syringe, his head on a swivel as he looked frantically for his briefcase. Before he could locate the case, Nightwing charged him with a powerful tackle. Both men fell over the table, rolling over the lit candle and knocking the flame out. Crane, not being a fighter, clawed desperately at Nightwing's face as the younger man easily overpowered and pummeled him in a fearful frenzy.

The adrenaline pumping through Nightwing's body began to release him from the iron grip of Fear Toxin and he felt himself returning to normal. He stood up in the darkness and grabbed Scarecrow by the collar and hoisted him into the air. "It's over, Crane. You're lucky I didn't completely lose control. When are you gonna learn? I don't respond well to terror." He dragged the barely conscious Scarecrow over to the locked door and kicked the door off its hinges, then walked downstairs and exited the house.

Once they got outside, Nightwing tossed Crane onto the ground and fell to one knee. The beatings he'd taken that night were finally catching up to him. He hadn't even been aware of the steady flow of blood that was gushing from his side. He was going to need serious medical attention, and soon. He fell forward and was out cold before his face even touched the gravel. He didn't even hear the approaching sirens.

[The Scientist - Coldplay]

Dick awoke on a stretcher, in the back of a moving ambulance. He nearly ripped the IV from his arm when his hands shot up to his face to make sure he still had his mask on. He did. As his vision came into focus, Grayson looked around the ambulance; other than him, there was a mildly annoyed paramedic, and...Detective Alyss Tudor? That couldn't be right, he must have gotten a concussion.

Alyss tilted her head and squinted at the injured hero. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You blew up a house fifteen minutes away from Precinct 5. I'm just glad Marc and I found you when we did. You're pretty banged up, kid." Nightwing grunted. "I've had worse, I'll live. But thanks for helping me. Where's the Captain?"

Alyss frowned a bit. "He's taking that creep Scarecrow back to Arkham. And if you've had worse than this, maybe you should switch jobs." Dick chuckled, then winced in pain as he closed his eyes. "No can do. I've gotta protect and serve my city. But I'm definitely considering a vacation..."

He was back asleep just as soon as the words left his lips. "Sleep well, kid," Detective Tudor said. "You've earned it."


End file.
